A LEGEND OF RUSSIAN CINEMA IN FANTAS 2012

Karen Shakhnazarov

One of today’s mostimportantRussianfilmmakersishonoured at the32ndeditionof Fantasporto. Thescreenwriter, producer and directorKarenShakhnazarovisalso the director ofRussia's largest movie studio - Mosfilm. In 2010 he was awarded in Fantasporto for the film "Ward Number 6", which shows us how easy it is to become what we most fear. Now, the Porto International Film Festival pays Shakhnazarov adue homagepresentingacollection offilmschosen by thedirector himself.

KarenGeorgievichShakhnazarovwas born on July 8, 1952,in Krasnodar, Russia.As a childhe had a passion for both painting andcinema. At the end it wasthe Seventh Artthattook the upper hand. Between 1969 and 1975 he studied at the 'Film Direction Faculty ", having Igor Talankin as his main mentor. In the meantime he began working as a production assistant and in 1975 came his first film: "Shire Shag: Maestro" (Step Wide, Maestro) - his graduation work. The first feature film came out in 1979 - "Dobryaki" (Kind Men) - collecting awards in European film festivals. Until today he’s made fifteen movies, writing the screenplays for many of them.

The filmthat broughtworldwide recognition to Shakhanazarov was "We're From Jazz", amusicalstarringIgorSklyar, about the difficultiesof implementing this typeof musicin the USSRof the 1920s.The movie wasconsidered by many criticsas the bestfilm of the year(1983). A year later Shakhanazarov joined "Mosfilm Studio" which he runs since 1998. The Mosfilm studios are the biggest film studios in Europe and have in its collection the timeless Russian classics from men like Tarkovsky and Eisenstein. With his next film "Kurier" (The Messenger Boy) from 1987, Shakhnazarov managed to paint a vivid picture of the life of young people who grew up at the end of the "era of stagnation”, and their strange relationships.

KarenShakhnazarov’s filmographyis diverse. Thedramatic filmstop thepreference of the author, but they all havebits and pieces offantasy thatsets them apartfrom the usualmovie genre. A good exampleis "Gorod Zero" (Zero City) from 1988 with LeonidFilatovin the main role. In the historical novel Tsareubiytsa (Assassin) from 1991, Shakhnazarov tells the tragic story of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, and his family. Oleg Yankovsky and Malcolm McDowell are the protagonists. In 1998 he released what many think is his masterpiece - "Den polnoluniya" (Day of the Full Moon) – that has a peculiar narrative style. The reality is intertwined with romantic memories, creating a poetic journey in time and space.

"Poisons orWorldHistory ofPoisoning" is another one not to miss, a black comedyabout themost secret desiresof every singleoneof us. "The Rider NamedDeath" from 2004 concentrates on theissue of terrorisminthe late XX century and "The VanishedEmpire" is anostalgicfilmabout theRussian youth of the 1970s. His most recent film, "Ward Number 6" (2009), won the Special Prize from the Jury of Directors Week at Fantasporto 2010. Based on a short story by Chekhov, "Ward No. 6" tells the story of a psychiatrist who becomes a patient in the asylum that he once supervised. Adapted to the present day Russia, the film is a mixture of anxiety and mystery, showing how easy it is to become what we fear the most.

"Les Affamés" from Robin Aubert, wins Best Film Award and Best Director for the Fantasy Film Official Section and "True Fiction" from Jin-Mook Kim, wins Best Film and Best Screenplay for the Directors Week Official Section.